[12:36:45 AM] Sefen.Hsu: Well, dad left to taiwan. Boy, I finally get to have a good sleep tonight. He was so loud last night when I went to bed. I don't think I get to really sleep for more than 3 hours.
:) Snoring...something to at least consider when choosing your life partner, eh?
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
?
If you set out to accomplish anything requiring a lot of effort against slim chances, there are two main things to consider: 1) do you have a natural ability for this activity, and 2) do you know how to work smart and work hard (in a way, also a natural ability)?
When I was young, I believed I had a natural affinity for music. During those shamefully boring home videos of my Suzuki concerts, among the auditorium packed with a hundred kids playing their violins, I'm the shortest, youngest one in the front row, moving her bow in the right direction at the right times with an effortless, relaxed smile on her face. Teachers' comments were always that I was a fast-learner. I didn't have to learn to be musical, to be affected by this harmony or that rhythm...it just happened, through no actual achievement of my own. To me, this isn't bragging--innate abilities like perfect pitch and muscle memory are nothing to be proud of; however, they are something to be cognizant of, to help one figure out his/her most beneficial path in life.
I got older and went out into the real world. I experienced the usual small-fish-in-a-big-pond phenomenon, realizing that there are some people out there with more natural ability than me. Not just some, but MANY...so, so many. It took a while to become accustomed to this, but eventually I adjusted my identity to being not the "talented" one, but the "hard-working" one. My idea was, if I can't be the fastest learner or the most natural musician, I can be the most diligent, prepared one. Even if I start out with a less stunning skills set, I can compensate by putting in that much extra effort. I learned how to (barely) hang on to the high level of achievement my peers attained with such ease...if they worked for three hours, I worked for five. If they prepared a week in advance, I gave myself a month. When we came out with the same result, I learned to be proud instead of bitter, and to value my hard work along with their talent.
Now at a new school and in the midst of a new communal personality, I feel like I'm experiencing a second small-fish-big-pond reality check. Not only are there people with more natural ability than me, but there are also people who work harder than me...MANY people, who work WAY harder. I generally took pride in my practicing methods and specific routines. In my old school, I'm pretty sure I was one of a tiny minority that practiced to this degree of thoroughness, bordering on ridiculousness. (Music can become a perfect activity for the OCD-inflicted, in many ways.) But now, I'm surrounded by people who all have this kind of work ethic as well. So what's left for me to cling onto? How do I compensate? I feel like I've reached something of a dead end, or like I'm a hamster on his mobile wheel. I'm running and running, but can I really get anywhere? What's left, besides natural ability and hard work? Luck? Confidence?
When I was young, I believed I had a natural affinity for music. During those shamefully boring home videos of my Suzuki concerts, among the auditorium packed with a hundred kids playing their violins, I'm the shortest, youngest one in the front row, moving her bow in the right direction at the right times with an effortless, relaxed smile on her face. Teachers' comments were always that I was a fast-learner. I didn't have to learn to be musical, to be affected by this harmony or that rhythm...it just happened, through no actual achievement of my own. To me, this isn't bragging--innate abilities like perfect pitch and muscle memory are nothing to be proud of; however, they are something to be cognizant of, to help one figure out his/her most beneficial path in life.
I got older and went out into the real world. I experienced the usual small-fish-in-a-big-pond phenomenon, realizing that there are some people out there with more natural ability than me. Not just some, but MANY...so, so many. It took a while to become accustomed to this, but eventually I adjusted my identity to being not the "talented" one, but the "hard-working" one. My idea was, if I can't be the fastest learner or the most natural musician, I can be the most diligent, prepared one. Even if I start out with a less stunning skills set, I can compensate by putting in that much extra effort. I learned how to (barely) hang on to the high level of achievement my peers attained with such ease...if they worked for three hours, I worked for five. If they prepared a week in advance, I gave myself a month. When we came out with the same result, I learned to be proud instead of bitter, and to value my hard work along with their talent.
Now at a new school and in the midst of a new communal personality, I feel like I'm experiencing a second small-fish-big-pond reality check. Not only are there people with more natural ability than me, but there are also people who work harder than me...MANY people, who work WAY harder. I generally took pride in my practicing methods and specific routines. In my old school, I'm pretty sure I was one of a tiny minority that practiced to this degree of thoroughness, bordering on ridiculousness. (Music can become a perfect activity for the OCD-inflicted, in many ways.) But now, I'm surrounded by people who all have this kind of work ethic as well. So what's left for me to cling onto? How do I compensate? I feel like I've reached something of a dead end, or like I'm a hamster on his mobile wheel. I'm running and running, but can I really get anywhere? What's left, besides natural ability and hard work? Luck? Confidence?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)